AP Psych Unit 1 Flashcards
Introspection
A method of self-observation in which participants report their thoughts and feelings (Structuralism)
Structuralism
An early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the elemental structure of the human mind (Wundt)
Functionalism
A school of psychology that focused on how our mental and behavioral processes enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish (William James)
Nature vs. Nurture
Whether genetics or environment is responsible for driving behavior
Behavioral Perspective
Focuses on the role of learning in explaining observable behavior.
Gestalt Psychology
Consciousness is best understood by observing the whole experience, rather than single elements, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”
Psychoanalytic / Psychodynamic Perspective
Stresses the influences of unconscious forces on human behavior (Freud / Neo-Freudian)
Humanistic Perspective
The human capacity for self-fulfillment and the importance of consciousness, self-awareness, and the capacity to make choices (Maslow, Rogers)
Biological Perspective
The influence of biology on behavior
Evolutionary Perspective
Behavior as a result of the genetic inheritance from our ancestors
Cognitive Perspective
Mental processes in perception, memory, language, problem solving, and other areas of behavior
Social-cultural (sociocultural) Perspective
How behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures
Applied vs. Basic Psychologists
Face to face work with clients, students, or patients vs. researchers working in labs
Hindsight Bias
The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it - “I knew it all along”
Critical Thinking
Rationally deciding what to believe or what to do by evaluating information to see if it makes sense, is coherent, and founded on evidence.
Theory
A hypothesis that has been tested with a significant amount of data
Hypothesis
A testable prediction, often implied by a theory
Operational Definition
The procedures used to define research variables that is specific and allows research to be replicated
Replication
Repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants and different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances
Case Study
An observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles
Longitudinal Study
Observing the same participants on many occasions over a long period of time
Cross-Sectional Study
Research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time
Naturalistic Observation
Watching behavior in real-world settings without trying to manipulate the situation
Survey
Often an interview or questionnaire that provides researchers with information about how people think and act
Sampling Bias
A problem that occurs when a sample is not representative of the population from which it is drawn
Population
The whole group that you want to study and describe
Random Sample
Method of selecting from a population in which each person has an equal probability of being selected
Correlation
A measure of the relationship between two variables
Correlation Coefficient
A statistical index of the degree of relationship between two variables (from -1 to +1)
Scatterplot
A graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables displaying their relationship
Illusory Correlation
The perception of a relationship where none exists
Experiment
A research method that manipulates one or more independent variables to determine the effect on some behavior (dependent variable) while controlling relevant factors and randomly assigning participants to groups (experimental and control)
Experimental vs. Control Groups
The group exposed to the treatment (the independent variable) vs. the group not exposed to the treatment
Random Assignment
Assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, minimizing preexisting differences between those groups
Double-Blind Study
When neither the researcher nor the subjects know if the who is in the experimental or control groups
Placebo Effect
Phenomenon in which the expectations of the participants in a study can influence their behavior
Independent, Dependent, and Confounding Variables
The experimental factor that is manipulated whose effect is being studied - the measurable outcome that changed from the independent variable - a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect
Reliability
Ability of a test to yield very similar scores for the same individual over repeated testings (split-half, alternate forms, test-retest, interrater)
Validity
The extent to which a test or experiment measures or predicts what it is supposed to do
Central Tendency (mean, median, mode)
The average of a set of numbers, a measure of center in a set of numbers, the most frequently occurring scores
Frequency Distribution (normal, bimodal, positive, negative)
A function that represents the distribution of variables as normal (symmetrical bell-shaped graph), bimodal (two peaks), positive skew (distributed more to the right), or negative (distributed more to the left)
Range
Distance between highest and lowest scores in a set of data
Standard Deviation
A measure of how much scores vary around the mean score
Statistical Significance (p-value)
The likelihood that an error would be made concerning a hypothesis in behavioral psychological research, generally an 5% error rate is reasonable
Ethical Guidelines (APA)
- No coercion (people are doing it of their own accord)
- Informed consent (if deception is used, there must be a debriefed afterwards)
- Protect participants from harm and discomfort (put people at minimal risk)
- Respect confidentiality
- Must have a debrief afterwards
Wilhelm Wundt
German physiologist opened first psychology research laboratory in 1879 (structuralism and introspection)
William James
American psychologist who studied how humans use perception to function in our environment (functionalism)
Max Wertheimer
Gestalt psychologist who argued against dividing human thought and behavior into discrete structures
Sigmund Freud
Austrian physician whose work focused on the unconscious causes of behavior and personality - founded psychoanalysis
Dorothea Dix
A pioneering force in the movement to reform the treatment of the mentally ill in America
